


Finding The Way Back Home

by Neko_ryn



Series: Ink Prints [5]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Humor, I'm trying to be funny, Kinda, Light Angst, M/M, Multi, angsty renjun, but i totally recommend you to give it a try, flirty jaemin, no need to read the other stuff to understand tho!, sorry about that, stray kids members and relationships from Georgie's part of the AU are references, unaccurate depictions of school systems, whipped jeno, yes somewhat inspired on their song don't at me :c
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-04-11
Packaged: 2019-11-06 21:38:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17947565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neko_ryn/pseuds/Neko_ryn
Summary: Renjun hated everything that came with moving to a new country: a new house, a new school, a new start. He hadn't asked for any of it, and neither had he been asked how he fell about it, now he could just hope to be done and go back as soon as possible. Maybe it wouldn't be so difficult if a certain Lee Jeno and Na Jaemin weren't trying so hard to make him feel right at home.





	1. Home is where the heart is

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I'm back with another delivery for Ink Prints, and this time it's a full 5-chapters one! That I will somehow manage to finish in the following days, go easy on me ;; Georgie was an absolute sweetheart while helping me with this, so definitely go check her changhyunlix, you'll love it ! I hope you enjoy this short fic! <3

Renjun knew perfectly well his parents had no ill intentions when they said he shouldn’t be sad because moving to another country meant new experiences and new friends. He knew, yet he also knew he didn’t want new experiences or new friends. What he wanted was to wake up in his comfortable mattress to a hundred missed calls from his cousin, Lucas. He wanted to discover all of this was nothing more than an awful dream. But the airplane's pilot announcing they were about to descend through the speakers reminded him it wasn’t a dream, it was his reality now.

By the time he and his parents were out of the airport and on a taxicab on their way to the hotel he was already exhausted. The idea of the hotel room seemed only half as promising as it should be, since it reminded him it would be a temporary home before they moved into the new house. They had arrived about a week before the start of the new semester, so at least he didn’t have to worry about school, yet. But the idea of having to go to a new school, study in a language he was still getting familiar with, and making  _ new  _ friends was continuously poking his guts.

“Cheer up sweetie, it’s only a few days, and then we’ll be settled at our new home.” His mother had said as they loaded the luggage in the trunk of the taxicab. Now Renjun was idly looking out the window, his mind vaguely processing the music that came through the earphones.

_ This is not my home, and it will never be  _ he thought as his heart raced quickly in his chest at the uncertainty.

* * *

The week went by fast, with Renjun only leaving the hotel room to get his meals as a silent protest to the decision his parents had taken. They had expressed their concern about his attitude, but he had mostly avoided giving answers, almost giving them the silent treatment. He had never been one to rebel against his parents, but their decision had hurt him so much he just couldn’t begin to understand they were going through their own difficulties and still trying to accommodate him.

The night before the start of classes, Renjun had the mind to at least prepare his backpack before going to sleep. His brain acted in automatic as he went over the supplies his mother had bought after arriving to Korea, only really paying attention we he spotted a set of Moomin themed erasers. The frown on his face eased into a soft smile as he examined the erasers, giving himself the opportunity to appreciate what his mother had done despite still being angry.

Renjun quickly pushed everything into the backpack when he heard his parents opening the door to the hotel room. Both greeted him with a smile and Renjun observed the hummingbird tattoo flying around the raccoon one on their tangled hands with apprehension; a clear contrast to his unmarked skin. He wished them goodnight before slipping into his bed and closing his eyes, muting their voices after much effort.

Once morning had arrived, Renjun was gently shaken awake by his mother. He was told to get ready for school, and reality immediately pulled him out of his sleepy state. Uncertainty settled at the pit of his stomach as he got dressed and forced half of his breakfast down his throat, trying to convince himself that everything was going to be alright. And then, he was on his way downstairs with his mother to take a cab to school.

“The company will give your father his new car this afternoon, so he’ll go pick you up since we’ll have finished moving by the time you get out of class, we’re finally going home.” His mother explained.

Renjun would have really liked to point out how wrong she was, but he didn’t. They weren’t going home, and certainly he doubted the new house would be any different to how it felt to stay at the hotel, except maybe for the privacy a room for himself would provide. Still, he kept quite and opted to check his phone instead, hoping there would at least be something to stir his mind away from the intrusive thoughts. Something like a hundred messages from his cousin, Yukhei.

**oversized noodle** **  
** hey little man   
!!!!!   
i hv no idea wht time it is ther    
too sleepy   
it’s gon be alright!   
u’ll do grate im sure of it ;)   
just!   
try to have sme fun :D   
u can do this   
whoop!

He scoffed before putting his phone away, fighting the smile that threatened to appear on his face out of fear of his mother asking. Still, Yukhei’s words made him feel just a tad better. The older wasn’t trying to convince him of accepting Korea as his new home, rather, he was telling him to hold on and have some hope, and that was pretty much what Renjun needed at that moment. He read the messages a couple more times before putting his phone away, mentally convincing himself that everything was going to be okay.

* * *

The realization that nothing was truly okay came when he stepped out of the cab and made his way into the school. He noticed a few stares as some people actually stopped in their tracks to look at him with a mix of curiosity and confusion. Renjun supposed that people transferring in the middle of the semester wasn’t too common, let alone from one country to another; he just new that he wanted none of the looks he was getting at the moment. So many pairs of eyes on him made anxiety crawl on his skin, and he wanted nothing more but to turn invisible until he could go back to China. The only thing he got were awkward directions on how to get to the school’s offices.

“Here you go, this is your schedule and a little drawn out map of the main buildings so you can find your way around, please sign here as received.” The lady sitting behind the main desk told him after having him fill out a couple of forms. 

Even when he could understand them, the Korean characters seemed to dance mockingly in front of Renjun’s eyes, another reminder that he was no longer than home. Suddenly, he regretted having complied to take those foreign languages classes when asked by his parents, just a little before their moving had been announced. He returned the pen after signing and stared at the map and schedule in slightly confusion, feeling too bewildered to speak his mind.

“Don’t worry, your home room teacher will probably assign you someone to take care of you, you’ll be alright kid.” The lady spoke to him once again, nodding towards the door as a sign that he should probably leave already. And so he did.

Following the map wasn’t too easy with how vague the drawings were. He got the classroom wrong at least two times and had to apologize to the teachers before actually finding this home room and slipping in through the backdoor as silently as he could. This was to no avail as the teacher, a tall black-haired woman, cleared her throat and called him to the front of the class.

Renjun wished he could pretend to not understand the language, but his head had automatically turned when he had been called and so he had no choice but to walk to the front of the class. He fixed his stare to the ground and muted out the rumors he could hear spreading around in the classroom. Was hoping to not introduce himself too much?

“You must be Hwang Renjun, I’m glad you managed to find your way to the classroom, I’m sure you’ll get accustomed to where everything is soon.” She spoke with a firm tone and a kind smile, which felt too contrasting. “I’m Miss Kang, your homeroom teacher, would you mind introducing yourself to your classmates?”

Yes, of course it was too much to ask.

“Uh…” He swallowed and sighed heavily before coming up with a short introduction. “My name is Hwang Renjun and I come from Jilin, China. I hope we can get along.” The last words came almost like a whisper. There was a short wave of applause encouraged by the teacher before she gave him a soft push in the direction of the only empty seat in the class.

“Go sit next to Jeno, I already asked him to help you throughout the day so don’t be afraid to ask him anything.” Miss Kang said as she returned to her place in front of the board and finished giving out some details regarding the start of the new semester.

Renjun made his way towards the seat next to Jeno and sat down, barely sparing the other a look and a tight smile as a greeting as the teacher starter talking about important school dates and events. He tuned out all of it, focusing instead on the memories of the messages Yukhei had sent him, they were quite literally his only anchor at the moment. That was until he felt a light finger tap on his arm, making him turn his head around just enough to glance at the hand that seemed to linger unsurely as it extended a folded paper to him.

He raised his eyes enough to give Jeno a questioning look, wanting more than anything to be left alone to his thoughts, even if neither his parents nor Yukhei would have approved of that. Jeno just smiled at him. Renjun felt his heart skip a beat at the bewilderment the smile produced in him. It wasn’t just  _ any _ smile. No, it was a fully fledged smile that showed only the top row of his teeth and was accompanied by an equally bright eye-smile. He almost turned around and ignored the message altogether, feeling too out of place. Almost, because he still grabbed it to look into it.

_ hey, my name is lee jeno _ __  
_ nice to meet you! _ _  
_ __ wanna grab lunch together? i can show you around a bit

Renjun stared at the note for a couple of minutes, debating on what the appropriate answer was. He was about to reject the offer when he glanced back at Jeno, who’s smile had settled into something just a tad less bright, although the eye-smile persisted, and he sighed. Maybe grabbing lunch with the other wouldn’t be too bad, they didn’t have to be friends, but if he could get a tour of the school out of it, then so be it.

_ sure _

He wrote his reply quickly and returned the note, focusing his eyes back on class and not glancing back even once until class was over.

* * *

How he had managed to survive until lunch was a mystery, but by the time last period before lunch was over, Jeno was already waiting for him outside of his classroom. They shared most of the classes but not all of them, and it was somewhat comforting that at least he wasn’t going to be getting notes every single class. Renjun had tried to ignore Jeno in all the classes they shared to the best of his ability, but quickly found out that the only way to stop the paper pile on his desk from growing was to reply to the messages.

“Okay, let’s go! I’m starving.” Jeno had exclaimed as soon as Renjun had excited the classroom, greeting him with the eye-smile Renjun had been seeing the whole day. “Oh, by the way, this is Hyunjin, he was with us in homeroom.” Jeno introduced the boy that was walking beside them, all dark-haired and really tall.

“Hey.” Hyunjin greeted with a smile, which Renjun returned with an awkward nod.

“I always sit at the same table with some other friends, I hope you won’t mind that. I’m sure you’ll like at least one of them thought, they’re pretty nice.” Jeno explained with a smile that seemed to literally reach his eyes every single time. It was a mystery to Renjun how he managed to do that.

“Okay…” Renjun replied in a hushed voice.

“Oh, he speaks!” Jeno exclaimed, successfully causing Renjun’s face to burst into a soft red color.

Once they were finally settled in their table (Hyunjin had already left to join his own friends, apparently), Jeno introduced him to his other friends. Renjun didn’t really need the introductions. He didn’t  _ want _ to become friends with anyone when he wasn’t planning on staying in Korea, making friends would only make everything even more difficult.

“Okay so these are Donghyuck and Jisung, I suppose Jaemin is a little behind but you’ll see him later.” Jeno explained, turning a little sheepish at the mention of the latest. “Donghyuck is in the same year as us, maybe you’ll share a class with him, and Jisung is two years younger.”

“Hello!” Jisung greeted, a spoonful of rice halfway shoved into his mouth. Renjun tried hard not to snicker.

“Nice to meet you.” Said Donghyuck, not trying to hide his grimace at Jisung’s greeting. “I’m the smart one of the group.” He didn’t want to admit it, but he had immediately liked the cheeky attitude Donghyuck had displayed.

“This is Hwang Renjun, he just transferred, and since he has the most classes with me he’s also with Miss Kang.” Jeno explained, smile ever present on his face.

They were barely starting to dig into their food when a complete stranger came and covered Jeno’s eyes. Renjun raised his eyebrows, unimpressed but confused, and the stranger all but winked at him. If Renjun blushed profusely, no one mentioned (well, maybe Donghyuck made a snarky remark about it that went unattended by everyone else).

“Guess who it is?~” Said the newcomer, playfully.

“Uhm…” Jeno’s smile gave away that he knew who it was, but he still decided to play along. “The most handsome boy to ever bless this planet?”

Everything happened in quick succession. Jeno went red to the ears. Jisung and Donghyuck both gagged. And the other boy leaned in to kiss Jeno straight in the lips, right in the middle of the cafeteria. Renjun could do nothing but glare, confused, bewildered and full of regret for agreeing to join Jeno in the cafeteria. 

“Good lord Jaemin, when will you two stop being gross?” Donghyuck complained, throwing his arms towards the ceiling while  _ Jaemin _ took a seat next to Jeno.

“This is exactly the reason you two aren’t allowed to take classes together.” Jisung bit back, grumbling something about his lunch being ruined.

“We are soulmates! Shut up.” Jaemin said back, playfully, as he grabbed Jeno’s hand in his own. At this, Renjun was able to notice the figures of a dog and a cat coming together playfully in their dorsos. He pushed away the squeezing in his heart and decided to focus on something else.

“They can’t take classes together?” He asked, quietly, and both Donghyuck and Jisung looked at him in surprise.

“He talks!”  Jisung said, and Jeno broke out in a laugh exclaiming that he had said the same.

“They can’t take classes together because their PDA is just, borderline breaking school rules. Everyone hates to see them together.” Donghyuck explained, all but glaring at the couple.

“Come on, we can’t be worse than Felix and his boyfriends, those three are well known.” Jaemin complained, leaning his head on Jeno’s shoulder.

“They have toned it down after Changbin-hyung graduated, so you are, in fact, worse.” Jisung added, shaking his head with a sigh.

“You can’t say anything Jisung, when you spend the whole day making heart-eyes at your phone.” Jeno said, a sly smile crossing his face, and Renjun realized he had other types of smiles as well.

Renjun glanced over Jeno and looked at Jaemin, who was comfortably leaning on his boyfriend while playing with their intertwined hands until he noticed the stare of the chinese boy. Jaemin smiled at him, a sincere and gleeful smile.

“I haven’t introduced myself yet, right? My name is Na Jaemin, I’m Jeno’s boyfriend and soulmate, you must be the Renjun Jeno mentioned right- ouch!” His sentence was interrupted at the end as Jeno jabbed him on the ribs, telling him to shut up. Donghyuck snickered and Renjun looked at them in confusion, the fact that Jaemin already knew his name completely slipping his mind.

This was certainly a very weird group.

* * *

The rest of the classes went by fairly quickly. He ended up having a couple of them with Jaemin, who put even more effort than Jeno had into talking to him, to the degree that Renjun had actually yielded and spoke to him. In the end, he guessed his first day hadn’t been too bad, so when his father came to pick him up, he wasn’t too angry anymore.

**oversized noodle** **  
** little man!   
how was your first day of school?

**little man** **  
** pls stop calling me that   
i should change my name   
  
**oversized noodle** **  
** no can do   
lol

**little man** **  
** sigh   
‘twas ok ig   
not as bad as i was expecting it to be

**oversized noodle** **  
** told you it’d be ok!   
did u make some friends?

**little man** **  
** eh   
i wouldn’t call ‘em that?   
i don’t really want friends   
just holding out ‘til i can go back home

**oversized noodle** **  
** home doesn’t have to be a physical place   
u know?

**little man** **  
** whatever ge   
the day was good   
isn’t that enough?

**oversized noodle** **  
** for now, yes!   
glad u doing well lil man   
take little steps   
baby steps :D

**little man** **  
** lol   
okay okay   
i will   
thanks ge

**oversized noodle** **  
** :DDD


	2. Home is what you think of in your darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every little thing settled down in the depths of his heart, and each day it was harder to look at his parents without feeling the pinch of resentment in his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello~ I am back with the second chapter of Finding The Way Back Home! Huge thanks to everyone who bookmarked and gave kudos to the first chapter <3 I'm very glad to see you enjoyed it :DD I feel quite proud of myself, I've been working very hard everyday in the little bits of free time I have to bring this today, and I truly hope you enjoy it! Do leave comments and kudos if you're liking it so far <3

The first couple of weeks were definitely the most difficult for Renjun. He knew Korean, yet he wasn’t used to listening to it everyday. Plus his knowledge on the language left much to be desired, and he would be playing dumb if he said he didn’t notice the sneakers and comments from some classmates whenever the teachers had to repeat him a question or whenever he stuttered over his words.

Still, dealing with that was far easier than the struggle it was to keep in contact with his friends back in China. The time difference wasn’t much, yet they all had different schedules, and even just an hour of difference could mess up their plans. He had found himself talking to them less and less as they all become more involved in school and he had to spend extra hours dealing with homework that wasn’t in his mother tongue.

The worst part, however, were Jeno and his groups of friends. Renjun has caught himself getting used to their company more often that he would’ve liked to admit. Is not that he didn’t like them, quite the contrary. The problem was that he could see they were nice people and that he often had to stop himself from laughing at their silly acts and jokes because he didn’t  _ want  _ to become friends with them.

They made it incredibly hard for him however. Jisung always seemed eager to ask him about his hometown and lifestyle and about the language, and Renjun felt proud of himself whenever he answered one of the younger’s questions. Donghyuck on the other hand was just on another whole level, he was smart and confident and always had good comebacks to everything, and Renjun often found himself bantering with him in a friendly way.

Jeno and Jaemin were the biggest of his problems. They were just  _ too _ nice to him. Jeno refused to not include him in everything they did, always making sure of being just as playful with him as he was with the others, sometimes even more. And then there was Jaemin, always ready to help him with just about anything, pushing him in the right directions whenever he was having trouble with homework, and looking at him in that special way that lets you know you are important.

And Renjun knew that, logically, those weren’t problems in the slightest. But getting new friends almost felt like he was giving up his home and his life, and he didn’t want to feel like that. His parents weren’t of much help either. They pushed him everyday in different ways so that he would get used to living in Korea faster: they made him learn the bus routes to school, introduced him to new foods almost daily, and made him talk with strangers so he would practice the language.

Every little thing settled down in the depths of his heart, and each day it was harder to look at his parents without feeling the pinch of resentment in his chest. 

* * *

It had been about a month since Renjun had come to Korea when everyone saw him laugh sincerely for the first time. They were all playing around doing imitations to pass the time during lunch. He had been ignoring them for the most part, until Jisung did a particularly bad imitation of a crow that had them all bending to hold their stomachs. Jisung was the first to notice, in his embarrassment, the way Renjun had thrown his head back and was laughing out loud, in a way they had never seen him do it before.

He had quickly called the others’ attention over Renjun, who had rested his arms and head on top of the table to stifle down his laugh. It wasn’t until he noticed that everyone had suddenly grown quiet that he raised his head and found all of the group staring at him intently. Renjun’s face flared up and he found himself feeling insecure, not understanding what was happening.

“What?” He asked, sounding a bit more defensive than he had meant to.

“Nothing,” Jaemin had said. “It’s just that you have a really cute laugh.”

Renjun’s ears immediately turned red at the comment, and it only worsened when everyone else started to coo at him. 

“Hey, who are you calling cute?!” He yelled, scandalized, as Jeno put an arm around his shoulders and helped Renjun hide his prominent blush against his chest, still laughing openly about the whole ordeal.

“What, you don’t like it?” Jaemin had proceeded to ask, standing up and going to seat at Renjun’s other side, where he could clearly see the other’s face slightly better. If Jaemin could see the way Renjun’s blush spread all the way to the back of his neck, he didn’t comment anything.

* * *

“I’m going out!” Renjun exclaimed from the reception of their house. His mother, who had been cooking something in the kitchen, immediately peaked out.

“Out? Are you going to meet some friends?” She took a guess, carefully studying her son’s expressions.

“Well, I wouldn’t call them friends anyway…” Renjun muttered, half-heartedly hoping his mother hadn’t heard him so as to avoid a discussion. It was futile.

“Renjun, we already talked about this sweetheart.” Her mom started lecturing, and Renjun had to try really hard to not turn his eyes at her. “How do you expect to be happy when you’re not even trying? How do you expect to have friends when you barely let anyone into your life?”

“I don’t need to ‘try’ to be happy, I was already happy before we came here, before you decided to move here without even asking how  _ I  _ felt about it.” Renjun started, unable to keep it in like he would’ve liked to. “Besides, I already have friends, friends I miss quite a lot because I had to leave them behind.” 

He could see every bit of hurt reflected in his mother’s eyes and immediately felt like the worst son in existence. But he wasn’t going to apologize, and wasn’t going to promise to try and get better, because he couldn’t will the words out of his throat. When his mother didn’t say anything else, he grabbed his bag and walked to the door.

“Whatever, see you later.” He said, closing the door behind him once he was out.

Renjun was fed up. That week he had to throw out just about twenty notes sticking on his locker, making fun of him for his ‘funny pronunciation’ and for all the times he had had trouble understanding or saying something in Korean. Class was the only place where no one dared make comments out loud about him, but even there everything was too tiring and difficult.

His friends from hometown had already stopped talking to him, deeming it too difficult and bothersome to keep up, and he could only really talk to Lucas on weekends when he wasn’t  _ too _ busy trying not to fail his classes. Renjun didn’t have anyone to talk about how he felt. He didn’t want to worry Lucas who was far away from him, his parents would only tell him he wasn’t trying enough, and he didn’t know Jaemin and the others enough to trust they wouldn’t shut him off completely.

By the time he decided he didn’t want to meet anyone after all, he had already arrived to their meeting point and the others were walking towards him. He noticed Jaemin’s face first, how it shifted from a smile to a concerned frown, and Renjun knew he must have looked like a mess. He tried to turn around and leave, but Jaemin, being one of the tallest, was next to him in a couple of steps and grabbed his hand.

“Renjun,” he said, pulling him back until they were staring right at each other. The others caught up to him soon enough, and immediately started asking what was wrong. Renjun could see the worry in Jaemin’s eyes so clearly and so heavily fixed on him that he couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. Jamin panicked for a fraction of a second and pulled away, before quickly enveloping Renjun in a tight hug.

“Let me go.” Renjun said, his anger diluted by his own tears. He tried to pull away from Jaemin, feeling a mix of embarrassment and annoyance.

“Hyung, what’s wrong?” The worry in Jisung’s voice was so clear that it Renjun felt incredibly guilty.

“Nothing is, I’m just tired.” He said, not entirely a lie but not quite the whole truth either.

“Are you sure?” Jeno asked while Jaemin rubbed comforting circles on his back since Renjun had finally settled down and stopped struggling.

“Okay…” Jeno looked at Donghyuck for a bit of help, trusting the mood maker of the group.

“There’s only one thing we can do now…” Donghyuck started, while everyone looked at him expectantly. “We use the chance and bully Renjun into buying us drinks as snacks for the afternoon.”

“Ya!” Jaemin began to scold, but was stopped by the soft laugh and shaking coming from between his arms. “Oh.”

Donghyuck smiled victorious as he stole Renjun from Jaemin’s arms and started walking towards the nearest cafe, which was the place they usually went to. Jisung quickly caught up and started asking him things about Chinese pronunciation and tones. Jeno and Jaemin followed after giving a quick look to each other, still concerned although there was nothing much they could do.

They placed their orders and went to sit at a table close to one of the big windows. Just as they were settling down their bags and taking a seat, Jisung’s phone started ringing, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say his whole face lit up when he saw who was the caller.

“Oh, is it him again?” Donghyuck asked, a teasing smile already in his face. 

“Quit it hyung.” Jisung retorted, forming a pout with his lips.

“Who?” Renjun couldn’t help but ask, glad the attention was off of him for the time being.

“His soulmate.” Donghyuck replied with a smile, just as Jisung unlocked his phone and accepted the video call.

“Hello!” A voice came from the speaker, and it was too familiar for Renjun to stop himself from looking over the phone.

“ _ Chenle?!”  _ He exclaimed, changing to Chinese without even noticing before seeing the familiar face.

“ _Renjun?! It’s you! Hi, it’s been so long!_ ” Chenle exclaimed with just as much emotion, and Renjun had to hold back from taking Jisung’s phone from his hands.

_ “You’re Jisung’s soulmate?” _

_ “You’re Jisung’s friend?” _

They asked each other at the same time, and immediately started laughing after. Everyone around Renjun exchanged a look of surprise and confusion, wondering how much of a coincidence it was that they knew each other. Jisung thought for a moment before handing his phone to Renjun and giving him a smile.

“You should go and talk to him, we’ll wait for you here.” Jisung said, and he squealed in surprise when Renjun gave him a tight hug and thanked him before leaving.

He didn’t go too far away, just right outside of the cafe, where he sat down on a bench and talked with Chenle for a short while. They exchanged how things had been lately for both of them, and Chenle explained how his parents had taken his social media away from him, and with Renjun having changed phone number with the moving, it had been impossible to contact him. The oldest felt just a tad better, knowing that at least his best friend had not abandoned him.

Jaemin came to pick him up once their drinks had arrived, and Renjun went back with Chenle’s call still on. Renjun gave back Jisung’s phone and was squeezed between Jeno and Jaemin right after, since his place next to Donghyuck had been occupied by a new face. He sipped on his ice lemon tea, trying to not grimace at Jaemin after Jeno had shared the contents of its coffee with a whisper.

“Renjun, this is Mark-hyung, Donghyuck-hyung’s childhood friend.” Jisung explained with a smile, pulling the cup of iced hot chocolate close to his face to drink.

“Hey,” Mark said, a sheepish smile on his face as he raised a hand to wave it as a greeting.

“Hello.” Renjun replied, just as sheepish.

They seven of them settled into a comfortable chatter, talking about several things and nothing at all. Renjun was pliant to Jeno and Jaemin’s insistence of feeding him a variety of desserts they had ordered for themselves, liking the feeling of being taken care of quite a lot. At some point, tired from the events of that day and full of being fed so much, he got lost in the conversation and stared ahead with sleepy eyes. He barely processed Jaemin’s words as the other pushed his head softly on top of his shoulder, and then, Renjun was fast asleep.

* * *

 

**oversized noodle** ****  
renjuuuuun   
how is my fave cousin doing? :DDD

**little man** ****  
ge   
i’m pretty much your only cousin

**oversized noodle** ****  
irrelevant   
how was today?   
i saw u tagged in some pics

**little man** ****  
yeah   
it was okay   
fun, i think

**oversized noodle** ****  
you’re terrible   
chenle called to tell me all about it

**little man** ****  
wow   
ill have to talk to him

**oversized noodle** ****  
as if   
stop acting lik that   
admit theyre ur friends and go

**little man** ****  
**>** :(   
we’re not really that close

**oversized noodle** ****  
lies   
chenle told me about two of them feeding you   
and one letting you sleep on his shoulder   
i have picture evidence

**little man** **  
** you’re mean

**oversized noodle** **  
** ;)

**little man** ****  
i SUPPOSE they are my friends   
i GUESS

**oversized noodle** **  
** good enough

* * *

Renjun walked to the desk beside Jaemin’s, who had yet to arrive to the classroom for the last class of the day. The weekend had passed by and he still felt grateful about the attention he had gotten during their day out, even if there was some leftover guilt that wouldn’t disappear until he talked with his mother, which would definitely take some time.

He took a seat, and his eyes widened when he noticed all the sticky notes decorating his desk. There was a picturesque combination of curse words and insults splattered all around, and his heart sank to the bottom of his chest. The notes screamed at him to go back where he had come from, mocked him for his pronunciation and slight lack of proficiency in the language, and told him to stop meddling in other people’s relationships, whatever that meant.

He stared at the notes for what felt like an eternity, until he heard Jaemin’s voice coming from the door and he hurried to take off every note as fast as he could, putting them together into a tightly fit ball that he threw in the trash can. Jaemin quickly fussed over him once he had sat down beside Renjun, noticing his livid state.

“It’s okay, I just didn’t sleep very well.” He lied, putting up his best tired smile. Jaemin observed him for a moment before nodding and giving his hand a squeeze. Renjun felt the guilt grow bigger in his chest.


	3. Home is in a person that loves you no less

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite this, he had found himself leaning towards Jaemin and Jeno more. There was something about them that made him think of stability and safety. It was probably because they were a couple, and seeing them rely on each other and the rest of the group rely on them made Renjun feel like he could trust them as well. At least, this was what he liked to tell himself time and time again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am back! Can you believe I've managed to remain constant with this fic? The days vary a little 'cause I post during my rest days and I have a different one each week, but still, I'm very proud of how constant I've managed to be :DD I hope you enjoy this chapter, there's a lot more norenmin in this ;) Make sure to comment and kudo if you like it!

During his second month there, Renjun came to realize that time went by way too quickly. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was growing to adjust well in the new environment despite the group of students that constantly tried to get on his way, and it was mostly due to his friends (yes, they were his friends, even if he tried to deny it 2 out of 3 times).

Donghyuck had a way for cheering him up quite easily, Jisung was a bit of a brat sometimes, but his eagerness made Renjun feel energized. Chenle and Lucas reminded him of home in a sweet way that wasn’t that painful anymore, and Mark, who Renjun had found out had also lived abroad, gave him advice that helped relieve the anxiety that sometimes plagued his mind.

Despite this, he had found himself leaning towards Jaemin and Jeno more. There was something about them that made him think of stability and safety. It was probably because they were a couple, and seeing them rely on each other and the rest of the group rely on them made Renjun feel like he could trust them as well. At least, this was what he liked to tell himself time and time again.

He liked to believe that Jaemin calling him cute didn’t do a number on him, and that being hugged that one time after fighting with his mother had only felt nice because he had been feeling terrible and needed the comfort. He reminded himself that Jeno was probably that annoying with everyone and that he exchanged little notes with every single person he met. That they always sat with him in the middle because it was their way of offering comfort and protection against all that was so foreign to Renjun.

He truthfully believed all of the above were nothing but the truth, which is why he felt very confused when terror spread to his being the day Donghyuck and Jaemin decided to bail out last minute on them. This meant Renjun was going to be on his own with Jaemin and Jeno. And for some reason that seemed closer to the terrifying end rather than the fun one.

**china’s (little) prince** **  
**are you two sure you can’t go? :(  
  
 **literal sun** **  
**sorry jun :/  
impossible to escape my parents  
  
 **uncontrollable**   
yeah sorry hyung :/  
the announcement of the project was really unexpected  
i can’t risk being close to failing again ;n;  
  
 **china’s (little) prince** **  
**wouldn’t it be better to just cancel?  
we can go out all of us together once you two are free  
  
 **nanananana**   
ya :c  
are you saying you don’t want to go out with the two of us?  
  
 **china’s (little) prince** **  
**noooooo  
i just feel bad for leaving those 2 behind  
  
 **uncontrollable**   
was typing our names too much effort?  
  
 **china’s (little) prince** **  
**yes  
  
 **jenojam**   
its gonna be okay renjun   
sometimes we can’t all meet  
that happens!  
  
 **literal sun** **  
**jeno is right, for once  
  
 **jenojam**  
hey :c  
  
 **literal sun** **  
**just focus on having fun!  
we’ll see you at lunch on monday!  
  
 **china’s (little) prince** **  
**okay :c

Renjun sighed at his failed attempts to avoid the outing and pushed his cellphone far into his backpack. He rushed downstairs and peaked into the kitchen, where his mother stood, putting away the remnants of something she had been baking. After their fight a few weeks prior, both of them had been walking on eggshells. Renjun knew he had to apologize, he knew he owed her at least that much, but just seeing her made his throat close around the words.

“Mom, I’m going out with the guys… We’re going to eat out, so you and dad don’t have to wait for me, okay?” He said, unable to walk into the kitchen further than that.

“Oh, okay, take care and don’t come back too late, yes?” She smiled at him, sweet as always, and he felt guilty.

“I won’t, see you later!” Renjun replied, quickly rushing to the door to avoid anymore confrontation.

He met Jeno and Jaemin where they usually met with the others when they went out. Both of them were already waiting for him. Jaemin was wearing a cap to protect his eyes from the sun, and Jeno was too focused playing with the hand of the youngest to mind the light on his face. Renjun met them with a smile, willing himself to not look too awkward or guilty for having tried to call the outing off.

“Renjun’s here! Let’s go!” Jeno exclaimed, grabbing both of the boys by their hands and pulling them along.

Jaemin laughed cheerfully, while Renjun yelped in an almost ridiculous manner, secretly trying to recover his hand, although Jeno‘s grip only grew tighter. At some point, the tallest intertwined their fingers, and Renjun felt himself die a little inside. Jeno took them through the bigger streets until it was just a bunch of confusing alleyways, plagued with stores, food trucks and people.

Renjun had never been in that part of the city, and he gripped Jeno’s hand strongly. I’m just afraid of getting lost, he told himself, it’s just until we leave. The alleys were a furious combination of various colors, aromas and noises. In the places where there was a little bit more of space, street artists showcased their talents to small crowds that stood around them.

“I think we should eat first, Renjun, have you ever had street food in Korea?” Jaemin asked, stopping and pulling them to the side so they wouldn’t bother other people.

“Not really? Except for that one time you guys treated me to tteokbokki.” Renjun replied, looking around with curiosity.

“Excellent, there’s something like a ‘snack buffet’ close by, let’s go!” Jeno added, once again pulling them back to the street and guiding them easily.

They ended up at what looked like a giant foodcourt. There were several tables full of every imaginable snack, with stools all over the borders so clients could sit. They walked towards a table near the middle of it all and sat down, Jeno and Jaemin ordered their favorite snacks almost immediately while Renjun stared wide eyed without a clue of what everything was.

“It’s okay, we’ll give you from ours so you get to try them all and find out what you like.” Jaemin explained as the woman behind the table served them their snacks.

“Oh, thanks.” He replied with a smile, grabbing the little plate and chopsticks the woman was handing him.

Everything smelt so well that Renjun couldn’t keep his stomach from rumbling, a reminder that he hadn’t eaten lunch yet. He observed the steam come up from the variety of dishes served in front of them, and his mouth watered despite not knowing what most of them were. Jaemin grabbed a good bite-sized serving of whatever he had ordered and put it in front of Renjun’s face, doing the typical ‘ahh’ noise that should be reserved for parents and doctors.

“I can’t eat by myself?” He said, unsure of how to react and hoping his face wasn’t as blushed as it felt.

“Oh, then I guess you can order food for yourself as well.” Jaemin shrugged, making the motion to push the serving into his own mouth. Renjun felt himself pout ever so slightly, mad that he wasn’t being teased like that.

“Not fair, you said you would let me try.” Renjun stated weakly.

“Ahh,” Jaemin retorted, moving the chopsticks close to his mouth again. Renjun huffed and accepted the other’s offering, making a blind eye to Jeno’s muffled laughter and to his own blush.

“I want to try too!” Jeno said amidst bright laughter. Renjun stared him down,but his full cheeks and bright blush made him look everything but threatening. “Just once?” Jeno tried again.

“ _ Fine _ ,” Renjun said after swallowing. He rolled his eyes and accepted the bite Jeno was offering. “You should be doing this with each other, not with me.”

“Jeno’s not as cute.” Jaemin said with a shrug.

“Jaemin is too much of a mom.” Jeno replied with the same bright smile.

Despite how embarrassing his friends turned out, the food was delicious, so Renjun ended up ordering some for himself. They ate amidst friendly banter until they were full, which was when they paid and went back to the main street. They walked for a while, just trying to help their stomachs digest the food while looking at the different stores and stalls.

They stopped in front of a street musician that was playing a guitar and singing a vaguely familiar love song about distance and the night sky. They listened for a short while, before Jaemin asked them to go into one of the shops that seemed full with accessories. Both Jeno and Renjun agreed and followed him suit. They entertained themselves with the articles, trying out sunglasses, caps and scarves, until Jaemin exclaimed in surprise and ran off to a little table full of charms.

“These are really cute.” He said, grabbing a little bunch and spreading them on his hand to look at them closely. “Renjun, you should choose some matching ones for us.” Jaemin said.

“Me?” Renjun replied, taken aback.

“Yeah! I think you’d have good taste.” The youngest of the three explained.

“Ohh, I want something chosen by Renjun as well.” Jeno complied, looking at him expectantly. 

Renjun swallowed and nodded swiftly. He looked at the mass of charms and started to browse among them. Unconsciously the lyrics of the song they had been listening to before going into the store, and before long he had grabbed a couple of charms: a sun and a moon. He put the sun in Jeno’s hand and the moon in Jaemin’s.

“Oh! These are pretty cute, why these ones though?” Jaemin asked, looking closely at the little moon charm on his hand.

“Well, Jeno is always smiling brightly and he’s very optimistic, in contrast, you’re more calm and have a different glow, I guess both of you complement each other well, being soulmates and all that.” Renjun could feel his mouth drying up as he spoke, feeling weirdly out of place all of a sudden as silence overcame them.

“Aww, that’s really cute, thanks Renjun!” Jeno exclaimed suddenly, hugging the other despite his attempts at running away. “I know, why don’t you help me pick a new cap? I forgot mine at home and the sun is kinda annoying in the eyes out there,” he gasped. “Is that why you chose the sun? Am I annoying?” Renjun stared at him as Jeno walked them down to where all the caps were located, before breaking into a huge smile.

“Oh no, you caught me.” The smile on his lips was playful though, and he felt relieved when Jeno caught up and joked with him.

“Rude!” 

Once they were done with that store they moved down the street to visit other stores and look at other musicians. The worry Renjun had felt about going out with them had turned into a minuscule thorn edged in his heart, that hurt a bit every time either of them so much as looked in his direction. By the end of the day he was more confused than he had ever been.

Renjun pushed his feelings away, however. He was having a very good time and didn’t want to ruin it with his overthinking, so instead he focused on his surroundings, on enjoying everything around him. Eventually the evening came and the sun started to set, so they decided to have one last snack before going home, and went into a little coffee shop close to the main street.

“I’ll go get out drinks, you two find a place to seat.” Jaemin said, making his way towards the counter.

Jeno and Renjun walked all the way to the other side of the coffee shop, where a boot next to the windows laid empty. They sat down in front of each other, and Renjun observed in silence as Jeno played with the just bought bracelet that had the sun charm in it. It really suited him. 

Jaemin returned with their drinks after a short while, and handed them out before sitting right next to Jeno. They talked for a while, more a quiet chatter as they enjoyed their drinks than anything else. After a while, Renjun laid his head on his arms and observed the other two speak. They were discussing Jamin’s unhealthy coffee drinking habits.

When the youngest started raising his voice in protest, Jeno grabbed his hands and pulled back down on the table. Renjun observed the cat and dog tattoos wrap around their fingers, and saw the two boys relax as they noticed too. It must be nice, he thought, to know who you’re supposed to be with. On the other hand, Renjun didn’t have any tattoos. He knew the age at which they appeared varied greatly, but there was a constant worry in the back of his mind about his marks never appearing.

“Renjun?” Jaemin said. Renjun raised his head, startled, and found that the youngest was now sitting right next to him. “You okay?” 

“Eh?” He blushed slightly, putting some space between the two of them. “Yes I’m…” he trailed off. He had casted his eyes downwards, noticing something in Jaemin’s collarbone. It was another mark, different to the dog that represented Jeno. “Oh.”

“What?” Jaemin followed Renjun’s eyes, and although he couldn’t see his own collarbone, he was able to guess what Renjun was looking at. “Oh, the mouse mark?” He said with a chuckle.

“You have two marks.” Renjun said, almost like a question.

“Yeah, Jeno has two as well, the cat that represents me, and this mouse.” He explained sheepishly.

“Mine usually hides in my ankle.” Jeno explained, his smile just as sheepish as Jaemin’s.

“Oh,” Renjun said, almost a whisper. “So you two have another soulmate?”

“Yeah, but we haven’t been able to meet them.” Jeno explained, sighing a bit before leaning back on the sofa. “We don’t know who it is.”

“Ah… I see.” Renjun said carefully, unsure if it was a topic they didn’t like talking about.

They stayed in silence for a while before changing topics and talking about something else. That night, when Renjun got home and laid down on his bed, thoughts of the three marks plagued his mind. Of course Jaemin and Jeno would both have more than one mark, they were the type of people everyone would fall for, everyone would love. And then there was him, unmarked skin. And he wondered if he would ever get his marks, if he would ever understand the meaning of love.

* * *

Renjun washed his hands and the sink, ignoring the mirror in front of him. He had told Jeno to head to the cafeteria first so he could make a quick stop at the restroom. Just as he was about to head out, a group of five other boys walked into the restroom and locked the door behind them. He recognized them as the ones that had been leaving rude notes and saying mean comments at him ever since he had started classes there.

He did his best to ignore them like he had been doing for months, and walked towards the door. One of the boys stood in front of it and looked at him with disdain. Renjun glanced at him and cleared his throat, he didn’t like talking in front of them because of the mocking and ill-intentioned comments, but he couldn’t remain silent forever either.

“Excuse me.” He said, as clearly as he could.

When the boy didn’t bulge, he went to grab the door’s handle, only to be pushed back harshly by the boy. He gasped, barely regaining his step to avoid falling down. Renjun bit his lower lip, nervous, if they weren’t letting him out then it couldn’t mean anything good at all. He suddenly regretted telling Jeno he could go to the restroom by himself.

“Don’t leave so soon Renjun, we’re about to have an important meeting.” Said one of them leaning against the sinks.

“Meeting?” He couldn’t help but ask, confused.

“Yes, a meeting about why you should leave Korea and go back to the rathole you came from.” The boy continued nonchalantly, his words making Renjun’s twist inside him.

“We’ve come up with a list of very convincing reasons as to why you don’t belong here.” Added another, who was drinking from a soda can.

“For example, you drag down the class with your terrible language skills.” Continued the first one, walking in front of Renjun and giving him a push, causing him to stammer. “You’re annoying, slow, and kinda rude since you never reply back when anyone talks to you.” Another push, and Renjun almost lost his footing. “You’re a nuisance, a waste of a place that could’ve been given to a Korean student, but you had to take it away.”

The last push made Renjun trip and fall back. He felt pain shoot through his left arm when he tried to support his body in the fall. He stared wide-eyed at the boys, flinching away when one of them crouched in front of him, the one holding the soda can.

“Also, how needy are you that you have to get in between  _ soulmates,  _ nonetheless. I know some people don’t find theirs, but getting between a established pair? You’re as low as a vile rat.” The boy closes to him said, before standing up and emptying the contents of his can on top of Renjun.

He heard them laugh as they left the restroom, and he stayed there for a while. His heart was racing so fast it was hard to breathe. The soda dropped from his hair down on his uniform and he felt the spasms of pain constantly on his arm. It took him a moment to gather himself, the shock was so bad he couldn’t even bring himself to cry, to clean himself, to do anything but leave the restroom and head to his house.

Renjun told no one that he was leaving. He left everything behind, even his belongings, as he made his way to the main entrance and to the street. A brief thought of relief crossed his mind as he felt his pants for his wallet and found it in his back pocket, he had probably put it in there to buy snacks during recess. 

The bus arrived after a few minutes and he got on. The driver gave him a weird look for his appearance but made no comments as he walked further in, and started driving again. The whole ride went by like a blur, and as soon as he arrived home, he was intercepted by his mother.

“Renjun?” He cursed the fact that she worked from home, and did his best to ignore her and just keep walking. “Hwang Renjun, what are you doing home so early?” She insisted. “Where is your backpack?”

“It’s nothing mom.” He mumbled, heading toward the stairs, trying to get away.

“What do you mean it’s nothing? You come back home during school hours without your backpack, did you skip classes?” She walked towards him and grabbed his left arm, forcing him to turn around.

Renjun hissed in pain and turned to confront her. She noticed the sound of pain and the way his hair stuck together and to his forehead, sticky and with a faint smell of syrup. Her expression became a worried frown as she examined him, and Renjun looked away in shame.

“What happened?” She asked, softer this time, trying to coerce him. Renjun shook his head, words stuck in his throat, but she kept insisting. “Renjun, please, tell me what happened. Am I not your mother? Can’t you trust me?”

Renjun sucked air in and closed his lips tightly. He was trying hard not to cry, but his mother kept asking him about it, each question more impregnated with worry, until Renjun came apart with soft sobs. She hugged him tightly despite the fact he was sticky and wet, and remained in silence until Renjun started talking himself.

“It’s been like this ever since I started school here, they just keep bothering me and telling me mean comments and insults and, I didn’t think it would get worse so I just kept quiet about it but… I really can’t with this anymore.” He explained, breath coming in short huffs as he tried to talk through the tears.

“Oh god, Renjun…” His mother held him tight, her own voice wavering. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry I didn’t notice before, I should’ve known, I should’ve helped.” Renjun wrapped his arms around her own waist and hid his head on her shoulder, shaking it no.

“Of course not, you’re not omnipotent, I kept it from you, it only makes sense you didn’t know.” He said between hiccups. “I’m sorry for not telling you, I’m sorry for fighting with you all the time and blaming you for everything. I know you were doing your best, I was a brat.”

“It’s okay, I know it must have been really difficult for you, I’m so sorry…” If she was crying too, she did her best to hide it away. 

They stayed in silence for a while, all the feelings that had been left unsaid coming out through their hugs. Renjun remembered very well the things those bullied had said, the messages he had repeatedly encountered on his locker and desk, and the things whispered to him in the hallways, and he had never felt so much like a stranger in a place he was supposed to be able to call home. Maybe he should really go back, the idea of trying anymore was just too tiring.

“Mom…” he started, his voice barely a whisper, broken from all the crying. “Can I go back to China, please?” His mother took a deep breath before nodding, unable to say anything that could fix the hurt in Renjun’s voice. “Thank you.”


	4. Where is home? A question only you can answer, I confess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> oversized noodle  
> renjun   
> is this really your home?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I’m sorry for not updating last week, I was too busy and behind on my school schedule sobb But everything is back to normal now so I bring you the last chapter of this AU, next one will be an extra ;) I hope you enjoy this chapter a lot, I had many feelings while writing this and I would love it if you could leave a comment telling me how you felt. In any case, enjoy!

A couple of days went by in the blink of an eye after Renjun’s request to his mother. She had offered talking to her sister and letting him live with Lucas’ family, and he had agreed immediately, almost without a thought. At this point it didn’t matter to him, he just wanted to leave as quickly as possible.

He had barely done anything after that day that wasn’t laying on his bed and sleeping the day away. His mother had convinced him of packing his stuff once it had been confirmed he was going to live with his aunt. Renjun hadn’t even been to school in that couple of days, and had only left his room to eat whenever he had felt like it. He knew his mother was worried about him, but the sadness pulling at his heart made it impossible for him to think of something that wasn’t sleeping.

As he laid on his bed, Renjun could see his cellphone vibrating furiously with incoming messages and calls. He knows all of his friends have been trying to contact him during his two-day absence. He remembered sending a message telling them he had fallen sick after he had asked his mother to let him go back to China. He hadn’t checked his phone since. Just as he mulled over the thought of picking his phone up, a couple of knocks from his bedroom’s door claimed his attention, and his mother came in shortly after.

“Renjun, come downstairs to have breakfast? You need to eat something, or you’ll get sick during the flight.” She said, worry tainting her voice with an ugly undertone.

“Okay, I’ll go, just give me a moment.” Renjun said, unable to look her in the eyes as he reached for his phone to check how bad the situation was.

Just as he scrolled through the messages without reading them thoroughly, his cellphone started buzzing with an upcoming video call. He stopped for a second and looked at the ID, it was Lucas, probably calling to talk about the moving. He bit on his fingernails before accepting the call with a sigh. It took a second for it to load, and then Lucas’s left side of his face was invading his screen.

“ _ Little man! _ ” Lucas greeted enthusiastically, and hearing his mother tongue felt comforting to Renjun.

“ _ Hi cousin, why are you calling me at this hour? _ ” Renjun asked, rolling onto his stomach to be more comfortable while holding the phone.

“ _ Mom just told me you’re going to come and live with us, and while I’d love to have you here, I have to ask this, is everything okay? _ ” Renjun groaned, knowing much to well that Lucas was obviously going to ask that question.

“ _ Everything’s fine… I just, haven’t been adjusting well, it’s too difficult and tiring and I don’t think I can do it anymore. _ ” He replied, shrugging ever so slightly and trying to keep the fact the fact that he was hiding something away of his mind so Lucas wouldn’t realize.

“ _ But I thought you had finally made friends? Did something happen? I’ll go fight them myself! _ ” Lucas exclaimed, his phone shaking in all directions and making his image a blur. Renjun chuckled briefly.

“ _ As if you would dare hurt anyone. _ ” He said with a smile, somewhat endeared that his cousin cared that much. “ _ But really, it’s not about that, not everything can be solved by making friends you know? It’s just… difficult. _ ” Renjun finalized, refusing to give out more details.

“ _ I see… Well, that’s okay then, I guess I’ll see you at the airport when you come? _ ” Lucas asked after a moment of carefully considering Renjun’s words. 

“ _ Sure, I’ll see you then. _ ” They both said goodbye and hung up the call. And with the slightly comfort Lucas had provided, Renjun found the strength to go eat breakfast.

* * *

A little later that day, not long after classes were supposed to be over, Renjun heard knocking coming from the front door. Curiosity launched him forward to look at the window, and to his surprise both Jaemin and Jeno were standing right on his porch, full backpacks and everything. 

He swallowed thickly and carefully closed the curtains a little more until there was only a small portion left to see. He then walked to his bedroom door and opened it to be able to hear what his mother was going to say. Renjun had said nothing about someone possibly coming to visit him, and he could just hope his mother wouldn’t let them in, trying to ignoring the sudden pull at his heart.

A couple of minutes later he could hear the front door opening and his mother greeting the worried couple at the doorstep. Through the window he saw the way Jeno scratched at the back of his forehead and how Jaemin continuously tapped on his right thigh with his fingers. Fragments of the conversation floated back to his room.

“We were wondering if we could see Renjun.” He heard Jaemin said, and his heart clenched painfully in his chest from how worried the boy sounded.

“Oh, I’m really sorry, Renjun is really sick right now, I don’t think I can let you in…” His mother said, and Renjun could tell how disappointed they were from how their bodies sagged visibly.

“Not even for a moment?” This time it was Jeno to speak, and he could tell the way he was trying to fight his disappointed through a half-hearted laugh.

“I’m sorry boys…” His mother repeated herself, not yielding even for a bit.

Jeno and Jaemin both relayed their wishes for Renjun to feel better before saying goodbye and leaving. Renjun went to close his door again and then threw himself on top his bed, closing his eyes and going to sleep before he could feel anymore pain.

* * *

After eating dinner that night, Renjun forced himself to grab his phone and message his friends. He felt horrible for ignoring them like that when he was about to leave them behind. They didn’t deserve that, they didn’t deserve to have such an awful friend like him. He opened the app, which instantly froze due to the incoming messages, and after a few seconds he was finally able to open the char he shared with the others.

**uncontrollable**  
oh! renjun hyung is on!  
  
 **literal sun**  
!!!  
  
 **china’s (little) prince** **  
**hey guys...  
  
 **nanananana**   
renjun!  
we tried to talk to you earlier today  
but your mother said you were very sick  
  
 **china’s (little) prince** **  
**ah yeah  
i was out w/ a fever  
  
 **jenojam**  
oh no  
are you feeling better? :((  
  
 **china’s (little) prince** **  
**yeah  
a little  
  
 **literal sun** **  
**will you be coming to school tomorrow?  
  
 **china’s (little) prince** **  
**i’ll try  
i should be feeling better  
mom’s herbal medicine is the best  
  
 **uncontrollable**   
that sounds disgusting  
but I’m glad you’re feeling better hyung  
  
 **china’s (little) prince** **  
**don’t worry 2 much about me  
i’m okay  
i should go to sleep so i can recover faster tho  
i’ll try to go to school tomorrow tho okay?  
gnight guys

He didn’t stay to see their replies. He couldn’t, the guilty in his chest made him feel like he was drowning, choking. He felt too guilty about lying to them, knowing fully well that he wasn’t going to see them tomorrow. After all, his flight was early in the morning. In the end, the guilt didn’t let him sleep that night.

* * *

Waking up that day was far more difficult than it had ever been. It felt like something was weighing him down, and for a moment Renjun thought that maybe staying in bed for ever was a far better option than putting effort into getting out again. He didn’t get much of an option when his mother knocked before coming in though.

“Renjun, the taxi driver is coming for you in about two hours, you should eat breakfast and take a shower before you go.” She said, and Renjun forced himself to sit up on the bed to let her know he has heard and was awake.

“Coming,” He said, suppressing a yawn as he pushed the covers away and got off his bed.

The kitchen table found him with a bowl full of rice, soup and a big array of side dishes. Renjun stared at everything as he took a seat before digging in, trying to ignore the fact how easily his mother had gotten used to the Korean cuisine. Or how hard she had tried, anyway. His mother sat in front of him and observed him eat, having already eaten with his father before the man had left to work.

“I’m sorry neither of us can accompany you to the airport, there’s just too much work to do, but your aunt and Lucas will be waiting for you when you arrive in China.” His mother said, and Renjun smiled at her comprehensively.

“It’s okay, don’t worry, really. I’m the one who asked all of this out of the blue, I’ll be fine.” He did his best to ease her worries, and then focused on finishing the breakfast.

After that, everything went by quickly. He helped his mother wash the dishes and then took a quick shower and dressed up for the day. Before he knew it, he was already sitting in the back of the cab and his mother was waving goodbye at him from the doorsteps. Renjun felt his heart clench at the thought of leaving his only anchor behind, but found relief in the fact that he would be back in China soon.

The ride was silent, probably since the driver had noticed he wasn’t in any mood to speak, and as he was ready to tune out everything with a nap, he saw Lucas’ handle appear repeatedly in his lock screen. Renjun unlocked his phone with uncertainty, Lucas rarely ever called him by his name unless he was being really serious about something. He ghosted over the keys until he has made his mind about answering the messages.

**oversized noodle** ****  
hey renjun    
are you sure about this?

**little man** ****  
what do you mean?   
  
**oversized noodle** ****  
are you sure about coming back?   
  
**little man** ****  
yeah   
why r u asking rn?   
  
**oversized noodle** ****  
it’s just   
doesn’t feel liek u actually want to come back   
  
**little man** ****  
what do you mean???   
of course i do   
already told u I don’t belong here   
  
**oversized noodle** ****  
renjun    
is this really your home?

Renjun didn’t know what to reply to that. What was he supposed to reply anyway? That no, he didn’t feel at home anywhere and he hadn’t for months now? That he felt like, no matter what he did, he would never feel safe again, comfortable? Just as he wondered what to reply to his cousin, more messages appeared on his screen, it was almost like a dam had broken and he was flooding.

First he noticed Jisung’s worried string of messages asking him if he was still sick, if he was going to be able to make it, if he could at least reply so that they knew he wasn’t doing too bad. And then it was Donghyuck, almost cursing at him for making them worry so much when he had promised he would go to school that day.

And then it was Jaemin and Jeno, and Renjun couldn’t understand why they were apologizing to him, what they were apologizing for. They asked if they had hurt him, if they had done something wrong, if they had been too straightforward, if he could stop avoiding them. They said that they were worried sick, that they were sorry.

And he couldn’t take it. Renjun couldn’t accept those apologies nor could he keep the tears from falling out. He felt so bad, so incredibly guilty for what he was doing to them. To the four of them, to Jaemin and Jeno. He had felt so comfortable with them, so safe, like he had been special to someone for the first time in his life.

And he  _ realized  _ how he felt. And it was like his heart started a riot in his chest when he understood that he doesn’t want to leave. That if he left in that plane he would regret it his whole life. That he wanted to stay, he wanted to run back to  _ them _ . That he wanted to be with them. That China had stopped being his home a long time ago.

In just a moment, a flash of black crossed the back of his hand, and then came another. Renjun gasped, overwhelmed with recognition for the cat and the dog that had just crossed his skin, feeling like his heart was going to stop beating at any moment. But he couldn’t let it, not then when he finally understood what he was supposed to do.

“Stop the car.” He mumbled, still in shock. The driver looked back at him in confusion.

“I’m sorry?” He asked, and Renjun looked at him through the rear view mirror.

“Stop the car!” He yelled, frantically, pulling his cellphone up and quickly looking for the address of the highschool he had been going to since moving in to Korea. The driver pulled to the side, confused and worried that something was happening, and Renjun showed him the address. “Take me here, please.”

In just a moment he’s being driven back to the school, and his mind barely registers that he has to call his mom.

“Renjun? What is it? Did you forget something?” His mother’s voice came immediately through the speaker as soon as she has picked up.

“Mom, I’m sorry, tell aunt I’m not going back to China.” He said, hurriedly, like he was in a race and had run out of breath.

“What?! Hwang Renjun, what are you doing right now?!” She yelled, and Renjun felt so bad for everything he had done to her in the last few weeks. He had been a terrible son.

“I’m sorry mom, I’m sorry, but I can’t leave, not anymore… I… I have my tattoos, and I know who they belong to, and if I leave I’ll regret it my whole life.” It wasn’t like he couldn’t go back later in life, but he knew if he left, he would cause irreparable damage. He couldn’t leave.

“You better explain all this to me when you get home, okay?” His mother said, and Renjun nodded enthusiastically before remembering she couldn't see him and answering. “I love you.”

“I love you too mom, and I’m sorry.” He hung up and focused on arriving to school.

One he has arrived, Renjun ran to the cafeteria with the big suitcase rolling behind him. He had barely arrived in time for the end of lunch, and he could only pray they were all still sitting in their usual table, trying to use the last few minutes before a professor came in to make them leave.

He walked into the cafeteria and slowed down, overwhelmed by the mass of students making their way to the door. He looked around, and then he spotted four familiar heads, and he ran. At some point he dropped his luggage, and then his body was crashing against Jaemin and Jeno with all the force of his desperation and running.

Renjun forgets what he had planned to tell them. His words turned into loud sobs as he hugged the life out of the two boys like someone was trying to pull him away. Jeno managed to push him away a little to look at him, to make sure he was alright. But he couldn’t come up with the words, so instead, he grabbed both their hands and held on to them tightly.

There was a silent beat.

And then there was a cat playing playfully with a mouse on his left hand.

And a dog tangled with another small mouse on his right.

A moment of silence went by as everyone processed what had just happened, and then two pairs of arms enveloped around Renjun as both Jaemin and Jeno laughed and yelled in what could only be described as bliss. They could hear Jisung to their side just yelling how cute everything was, while Donghyuck said something along the lines of “not another Changbin, Hyunjin and Felix please”.

And Renjun felt like he was breathing for the first time in his life, and decided that despite everything, things would be okay from then on.

* * *

Neither Jaemin or Jeno let go of his hand during the way home. When they arrived to Renjun’s house, they were still holding his hands and Jaemin was taking care of his luggage. His mother was already at the reception, waiting for him, and when they arrived Renjun immediately let go of them to go hug his mom.

“I’m really sorry, I’m such a bad son to you.” He whispered, holding onto her tightly, realizing how much he has almost left behind.

“Don’t worry… We’ll talk about this later, okay? It seems like you have some things to solve right now.” She replied in a whisper as well, glancing at the two boys on the doorstep. Renjun nodded and stepped away to introduce them.

“Mom, these are Jaemin and Jeno… My soulmates.” He said, and the words tasted sweet in his mouth, causing a soft blush to spread all over his neck and cheeks.

“Nice to meet you boys, why don’t you go upstairs to Renjun’s room while I prepare some snacks and then you can come eat? I bet you’re hungry.” She said with a gentle smile, and the three of them thanked her before leaving to go upstairs.

When they got to his room, Renjun made them both sit on the bed while he grabbed his desk chair and sat in front of them. He felt nervous, about telling them everything that had happened, but when he saw their hands tangled with each other, and the cat and dog playing together, a warm feeling of calmness spread through his chest.

They talked about every single thing. Renjun’s reasons for moving to Korea. How he had hated it at first and now the four of them had made things better for him. He also told them about the bullying, and convincing Jaemin to not go and kill their classmates took a combined effort of Renjun and Jeno’s strength.

He told them about leaving Korea and going back to China, and about how his marks had appeared and his rushed trip to the school. He apologized to them, but they didn’t let him dwell on it much as they pulled him onto the bed and cuddled the sadness out of him. And Renjun decided that coming to Korea was the best thing that could’ve happened to him.

They left when the sun has just started setting and promised to see him the next day at school. And just before he left to talk with his mother, Renjun grabbed his cellphone and opened his chat room with Lucas.

**little man** ****  
lucas   
you were right   
  
**oversized noodle** ****  
about what?   
  
**little man** ****  
China is not my home anymore   
maybe it was never meant to be   
but I found it now   
and it’s not a place

He attached a picture of the two tattoos, a cat and a dog, his newfound home. One which he wasn’t planning to leave.


	5. Extra: We’ll be your home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let us be where your heart rests  
> Let us be the light in your darkness  
> Let us be the ones who love you  
> Let us be the answer to your question  
> Let us be your home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is finally here, the last chapter! This is actually a bit of an extra, a complement to what happened during the story but through the perspectives of Jaemin and Jeno, who are just as whipped for Renjun as he is for them hehe. I truly hope you enjoy it! After this, I’m going to go back to finishing A penny for your thoughts, so if you love NCT, give that a read too! Thanks for reading this until the end, love you!

**_Let us be where your heart rests_ **

Jeno had never felt particularly grateful to a teacher before, being the typical teenager he was, but when he was able to put a face to the boy he had been asked to take care off, he had suddenly felt very grateful to their homeroom teacher. Hwang Renjun was adorable, even when he looked like he already hated the whole class in the five minutes he had been inside the room.

He decided to not let the unfriendly appearance deter him and immediately started whispering a short introduction, stopping only when he realized Renjun was doing his best in trying to ignore him. Oh well, desperate times called for desperate measures. Jeno opened one of his notebooks in the last few pages and cut out a fairly clean rectangle in which to write. Maybe Renjun wasn’t a fan of talking in Korean, and Jeno didn’t know Chinese, but  _ surely _ they could at least exchange some written words, right?

And okay, maybe he was a bit too excited about getting a new classmate. But it was such a rare occurrence that they were getting someone in the middle of the year, especially someone from another country at that. Plus Hwang Renjun seemed cute, and he had been assigned to take care of him anyway, so if being annoying was the necessary step, he would do it. Everyone would thank him later.

After he had finished writing the note, he tapped Renjun on the shoulder and passed it to him despite the confused look he received in exchange. He smiled, wide and genuine, and it seemed to be enough to make the new boy hesitate about rejecting his note, because not even a minute after he was grabbing it and taking a look at it. Jeno’s smile persisted all the way until he had gotten his reply, a simple ‘sure’ scribbled right under his question, and that was enough for him. This was Jeno’s first win.

After homeroom ended, he immediately grabbed his cell phone and texted Jaemin. His soulmate and best friend definitely had to hear about the news.

**nono**  
jaemiiiiiiiin  
  
**nana**  
yeeeeees?  
  
**nono**  
remember i told you about miss kang assigning me the new student?  
  
**nana**  
yes?  
  
**nono**   
he’s adorable  
i’ve been blessed  
  
**nana**  
lololol  
weren’t you complaining about him yesterday?  
and about miss kang?  
  
**nono**  
we all make mistakes  
no but srsly he’s so tiny  
and he looks like he wants to murder everyone  
which is a mood  
  
**nana**  
oh  
he’ll get along with hyuck just fine lol  
  
**nono**  
thought the same thing   
  
**nana**  
what’s his name?  
  
**nono**  
hwang renjun  
he’s from china   
still haven’t heard him speak anything beyond his presentation  
  
**nana**  
must be rough transferring  
from  another country nonetheless  
  
**nono**  
ya  
let’s make him feel welcome  
can’t imagine what he’s going through rn  
  
**nana**  
yeah  
see you two at lunch then?  
  
**nono**  
yep  
i’ll do my best to bring him w me  
see you

With the excitement of lunch, the next few classes went by quite quickly. When his last class was over, Jeno ran to Renjun’s classroom and waited for him outside, he was not going to let him escape. As he waited, Hyunjin caught him outside of the classroom and they fell into comfortable chatter about how the other’s boyfriend was doing now that he was in college, and how Felix and him with dealing with it.

Eventually Renjun walked out, and the three of them made their way to the cafeteria in a comfortable silence. After saying goodbye to Hyunjin, Jeno guided Renjun back to the table he usually shared with his friends, and found Jisung and Donghyuck already there. After a quick introduction, they started eating and chatting about their day so far and what they had done during vacations.

Just as he was about to take another bite out of his lunch, a pair of well known hands came to cover his eyes. Jeno relished on their warmth, and mentally went over the familiar features. The soft skin and long fingers, the firm touch that had a natural delicacy to it. And he remembered all the times he had held hands with that boy, even before they had turned out soulmates, and smiled.

“Guess who it is?” He recognized Jaemin’s playful tone and felt his own smile grow wider.

“Uhm… The most handsome boy to ever bless this planet?” He asked despite the enbarrassment he felt for uttering those words out loud. He was much more self conscious than Jaemin.

His smile widened and a blush spread through his face when Jaemin leaned in to kiss him despite the ‘disgusted’ comments from their friends. He really liked kissing Jaemin, it always made his heart flutter no matter how many times he did it. Maybe it was because they were soulmates, or maybe just because Jaemin’s entire existence on its own made him go all mushy inside.

After the necessary discussion of whether or not Jaemin and Jeno were “too much”, and the mandatory annoying Jisung because of how whipped he was for his own soulmate, calm settled down back in the table. Jeno looked at Jaemin and pointed at Renjun, to remind him of introducing himself to their new friend.

“I haven’t introduced myself yet, right?” He heard Jaemin start. “My name is Na Jaemin, I’m Jeno’s boyfriend and soulmate, you must be the Renjun Jeno mentioned right- ouch!” Jeno was quick to jab him on the ribs with his elbow, successfully stopping him from spilling about their private chat in which he had been gushing about Renjun, there was no need for the Chinese boy to know that.

**—**

**nana**   
you were right   
he really is very cute   
  
**nono**   
i knooooow   
  
**nana**   
he looked so offended when i kissed u   
im still laughing   
  
**nono**   
everyone did   
we been knew   
  
**nana**   
no one understands our love   
and jisung is equally gross   
just cause chenle isn’t here   
  
**nono**   
lololol   
u shared some classes w him right?   
w renjun i mean   
  
**nana**   
yep   
he’s really quiet   
  
**nono**   
i noticed that too   
just send him sticky notes   
he’ll reply   
  
**nana**   
pfff   
are u talking from experience?   
  
**nono**   
pretty much   
  
**nana**   
stalker   
  
**nono**   
hey :c   
  
**nana**   
i’m kidding   
love u :*   
  
**nono**   
love u too

* * *

**_Let us be the light in your darkness_ **

When Renjun agreed to go out with them for the first time, Jaemin thought that was what victory felt like. They had known him for a little more than a month, but everytime the four of them had asked him to go out, Renjun had come out with a new excuse to not go. However, when Jisung has asked him that time, he had surprisingly accepted to go, and everyone had felt like they were finally making progress.

The plan was simple: go to their usual cafe for some snacks and then maybe spend the rest of the afternoon just walking around the city. They were a bit excited about showing Renjun around, and overall, they were just happy that he had finally said yes to going out with them. 

That is why, when he saw the mix of emotions on Renjun’s face, he couldn’t help but frown. As soon as he noticed the shorter was turning around to leave, he shortened the distance with a few steps and grabbed his hand. A solid pull of his arm made Renjun turn around and face him, and soon the others were around them as well, fussing over the other with evident worry.

In just a fraction of a second, Renjun’s eyes had filled with tears, and Jaemin couldn’t help but pull back, surprised. He immediately regretted this when he saw the hurt expression in Renjun’s face and hurried to hug the other. He didn’t let go even though he could feel the shorter boy struggling in his arms, and instead started rubbing comforting circles on his back. 

Just what could be causing such pain in Renjun of all people? But it didn’t feel like it was his place to ask, so instead Jaemin looked at Jeno for help, who in turn looked at Donghyuck, the most quick-witted among them. Hyuck already seemed to have a plan in motion, as he pulled up a teasing expression and cleared his throat.

“There’s only one thing we can do now…” Donghyuck started, while everyone looked at him expectantly. “We use the chance and bully Renjun into buying us drinks as snacks for the afternoon.”

“Ya!” Jaemin began to scold, but was stopped by the soft laugh and shaking coming from between his arms, and then he understood what Donghyuck had been planning. “Oh.” He let the other steal Renjun from his arms and guide them to the cafe. Jeno stayed back with him as they walked, and grabbed his hand. He looked just as worried as Jaemin felt, and it hurt his heart even more to know this. 

When they finally arrived at the cafe and took a seat the atmosphere seemed to settle down. They had already placed their orders and where waiting to be called over when Jisung’s phone started ringing. Everyone looked at him in expectation, which made the ears of the youngest turn an adorable pink.

“Oh, is it him again?” Donghyuck asked, and Jaemin immediately knew that some teasing was coming. 

“Quit it hyung.” Jisung retorted, immediately pouting.

“Who?” Renjun asked, and Jaemin couldn’t help but feel relieved that he was participating in the conversation.

“His soulmate.” Donghyuck explained at the same time Jisung answered the call.

“Hello!” The familiar voice of Chenle came from the speaker, and Jaemin smiled, recalling all the times he had seen the younger through video calls or pictures Jisung showed to them.

“ _ Chenle?!”  _ Renjun exclaimed and everyone turned to look at him as he continued the conversation in fluent Chinese through the phone.

None of them could’ve guessed they knew each other, but Jaemin decided the surprise was worth it if it made Renjun smile like that. He felt proud of Jisung when the youngest offered his phone and Renjun left the table; it was his soulmate, but he had understood the other needed the talk more than him at that moment, and Jaemin couldn’t help but feel like a proud parent.

He remembered the tears Renjun had shed not even an hour before, but the smile he had showed them just then was enough to make him feel like things would be okay. That they could help Renjun feel better, more comfortable; that they could get him to smile more often, even if it meant Jisung would have to spend a little more in his phone bill.

—

Jaemin walked into the classroom in which he was supposed to take the last class of the day. He noticed Renjun was already there, throwing a bunch of papers in the trash can before making his way back to his place. He was going to ask what was all that about when he saw how pale Renjun looked, and immediately fussed over him. Yet, when he heard the “I’m just tired” excuse the other had already used with them before, he knew something was wrong.

Waiting until the end of class was excruciating, but Jaemin managed, and when it was time to go, he made Renjun leave first with an excuse of having to wait for someone to plan out a project. As soon as Renjun had left the classroom, Jaemin made his way to the trash can and pulled out the ball of sticky notes he had seen the other throw in before. 

The ball came apart in his hands easily, revealing a variety of curses and insults among other things. It was very clear who those were aimed at, and Jaemin felt his heart clench painfully with anger. He pulled his cellphone out and called Jeno immediately, afraid of doing something stupid if his soulmate wasn’t there to calm him down.

“Jaemin? What is it?” Jeno’s voice was soothing through the speaker, and Jaemin let go of the air he had been holding in.

“Meet me in my classroom, quickly, before I murder someone.” Jaemin said, and Jeno asked no questions before hanging up.

Barely a couple of minutes passed before Jeno was rushing through the classroom’s door and grabbing Jaemin by the shoulders. He checked on Jaemin first, to make sure nothing had happened to him, but the tallest quickly diverted his attention to the notes. He could see the surprise in Jeno’s face turn to confusion and then to anger.

“Are these…?”

“Notes for Renjun, yes.” Jaemin pushed his hair back with one hand and shook his head. “I swear I’m going to kill the bastards who did this,  _ no one _ does this to my friends.” He growled, ready to walk out the door before Jeno stopped him.

“No, you’re not going to murder anyone, stop it.” Jeno said, pulling Jaemin close into a tight hug and placing a hand on the back of his neck soothingly. “It’s okay, we’ll figure this out, okay? But the most important thing is that Renjun is fine, we should check on him, make sure he’s not dealing badly with this, okay?”

Jaemin nodded, letting air out through his nose and melting into Jeno’s embrace. He was right, they needed to make sure the situation didn’t escalate more, that Renjun was okay. Murder could wait for just a little while.

* * *

**_Let us be the ones who love you_ **

Threatening Jisung and Donghyuck to bail out on their outing at the last minute had been, by far, the most daring thing Jeno and Jaemin had done regarding to Renjun. It had been a last minute thing, but suddenly Jaemin had decided he didn’t want to share their new friend with Hyuck and Jisung, and Jeno had followed along with his whim more than willingly, sharing the same feeling.

Donghyuck had been the most difficult one to convince, the boy being suspicious of their intentions. Only two months had passed since Renjun had joined their little group, but the pair seemed already too involved. So of course, he had had to intervene at some point.

**soft boi** ****  
are u kidding me rn?   
  
**next victim**   
:v   
no?   
  
**soft boi** ****  
lee jeno   
i can’t believe ur asking this of me   
  
**next victim** ****  
pleeeeeease hyuck   
nana really wants the three of us to go out by ourselves   
  
**soft boi** ****  
that is disgustingly sweet   
never call jaemin nana ever again in our private chat   
also   
what is up with u 2?   
  
**next victim** ****  
what do you mean?   
  
**soft boi** ****  
yeah   
u 2 have been disgustingly sweet w renjun   
do u like him or smthn?   
  
**next victim** ****  
uhhhhh   
no?   
  
**soft boi** ****  
so that’s a yes   
u should be careful   
renjun doesn’t even have his marks yet   
and u 2 have an extra mark   
everyone here could get hurt   
  
**next victim** ****  
it’s not like we’re trying to date him   
or anything...   
just    
there’s a reason   
i promise   
but it would mean to expose stuff that’s not in our hands to expose   
we don’t mean any harm :c   
  
**soft boi** ****  
i know u don’t mean harm jeno   
just be careful ok?   
  
**next victim** ****  
does that mean you’ll pretend to be busy and not go?   
  
**soft boi** ****  
sigh   
yes   
  
**next victim** ****  
:DDDD   
  
**soft boi** ****  
i hate u   
  
**next victim** ****  
you sure do   
big softie

Once Jeno had managed to convince Donghyuck and Jaemin had finished with Jisung, they created a small group chat to ease Renjun’s worries. They had already planned out the whole day, and wanted to make it special for him, wanted to make him feel at ease in the foreign country that didn’t quite want to accept him. With just a few messages, they managed to convince him of leaving his house and joining them at their usual spot, with a promise that it would be worth it.

—

After filling their stomachs in the snack market, Jaemin took them to an accessory shop a little down the street. They tried on different things like sunglasses and caps, before he saw a short table full of charms, and walked up to them. He grabbed a bunch in his hands and looked at them with curiosity, some of them were all silver or gold, and some were painted over with colors.

“These are really cute. Renjun,” he looked at the other, who looked back at him after being called. “You should choose some matching ones for us.” He said, referring to Jeno and himself.

“Me?” Renjun asked seeming unsure, and Jaemin nodded.

“Yeah, I think you’d have good taste.” He assured.

Jeno agreed with him, and they both waited expectantly until Renjun had chosen a pair of charms. After a couple of minutes, he was placing a beautiful golden sun on Jeno’s hand and an elegant silver moon on Jaemin’s. They both looked at him with curiosity.

“Oh! These are pretty cute, why these ones though?” Jaemin couldn’t help but ask as he brought the moon closer to look at it.

“Well,” Renjun started. “Jeno is always smiling brightly and he’s very optimistic, in contrast, you’re more calm and have a different glow, I guess both of you complement each other well, being soulmates and all that.”

Both Jaemin and Jeno felt their hearts warm at the explanation, and if they had been telling themselves that, rather than  _ liking  _ Renjun they were doing it because they felt bad for the bullying… well, the boy had just thrown that idea out the window. 

When silence became too much, Jaemin elbowed Jeno softly and the other sprung into action, immediately taking Renjun with him to look at some caps. Jaemin looked at the charms for a moment, and then he found himself grabbing a UFO one that had a golden base with a silver capsule at the top. He smiled. It reminded him of all the times Renjun had talked to them about aliens and the unknown. He couldn’t help but buy it.

—

After the outing, Jeno ended up inviting Jaemin over. They had been soulmates since they were much younger, and Jaemin knew well the other’s house and family. They went to Jeno’s room after greeting his parents, and laid down on the small bed, embracing each other.

Jeno buried his head on Jaemin’s collarbone, and kissed softly over the mouse mark that rested there as per usual. He managed to see through the corner of his eye as the dog mark came to meet the cat on the cheek that he rested softly over Jaemin’s skin. That had been the closest the two marks had ever gotten to the little mouse, and Jeno wondered if they would ever get to see those marks move from where they were.

“What are you thinking about?” Jaemin asked, his voice a little hoarse from going unused after a while.

“Renjun.” He replied, sighing. “He looked a little bit sad after we told him about the mouse, I guess it’s a bit unfair, we both have two marks, but he doesn’t have any yet.”

“He’ll get them, he’s just not ready for them.” Jaemin replied, peppering soft kissed on top of Jeno’s head.

“I guess so…” Jeno nodded. They stayed in silence for a while, before he continued. “Don’t you think it would be nice?”

“What would be?” Jaemin said.

“If Renjun was the mouse.” Jeno replied, his voice almost a whisper as he spoke his mind, barely realizing what he was wishing for.

“It would be.” Jaemin agreed. “But we shouldn’t have so much hope, I think we used all of our luck when we got each other’s as soulmates.” Jaemin chuckled. Jeno did too.

“Right? And it took us so long to realize.” Jeno added, and Jaemin could feel him smile against his collarbone.

“We were immature brats back then, it’s okay now…” Jaemin nodded, smiling himself. “But you know, I would like him, even if he got his marks and ended up not being out soulmate.”

“Yeah, me too.”

* * *

**_Let us be the answer to your question_ **

It had been two days since Renjun had mysteriously disappeared during lunch break and since his mother had reported him “very sick”. A feeling of anxiousness and uncertainty had settled among the four friends, and they were starting to wonder if maybe something very serious had happened. Easing the tension away during lunch time was the most difficult part, they had gotten used to his presence a little too much.

Jeno and Jaemin knew a little better. They had heard the rumors spreading like a wildfire, that “the intruder” had been taken care off. Hyunjin had told Jeno after he had noticed Renjun was missing, and it had taken a lot of physical effort from him and Jaemin to stop Jeno from getting into a fight.

In the end, Jaemin had convinced him to instead look for evidence of what they had done to Renjun, but they couldn’t let anyone find out since it would probably put even more attention on the affected boy. They had the sticky notes Jaemin had found on the trash can, as well as the testimony from their friends who had heard the rumor, and they were convinced they could get one of the bullies to confess. They would take care of everything and get Renjun back.

Except that, when the days kept passing by and Renjun didn’t come back, both of them started to grow uneasy. They had reported everything, and the discipline comittee had shown a favorable response, but no matter how many messages they sent to Renjun, he wouldn’t answer any of them back. So they decided to go to his house instead. When they got to his house, it was his mother who opened the door, and they looked hopefully at her.

“We were wondering if we could see Renjun.” Jaemin said after they had introduced themselves.

“Oh, I’m really sorry, Renjun is really sick right now, I don’t think I can let you in…” His mother said, and they both saw their disappointment mirrored in each other.

“Not even for a moment?” This time it was Jeno the one who spoke, and if Renjun’s mother could distinguish the disappointment in his voice, she didn’t say anything.

“I’m sorry boys…” His mother repeated herself, not yielding even for a bit.

They left after thanking her and saying good bye. But this time they were almost certain that maybe it hadn’t been the bullies. Maybe it had been them the ones to scare him away. Had they pushed too much? Maybe Renjun didn’t feel anything like they did, maybe they had pressured him too much, and now he was running away.

The next day they try tried to contact him again. They apologized and asked him what they could do to make things better, but when Renjun didn’t reply they felt like there was nothing else they could do. Lunch went by slowly and in silence, Donghyuck and Jisung looked just as saddened as they felt, and they ended up barely eating anything. Once lunch was over, they picked their things up and walked to the trash cans and then made their way to the exit. 

Jaemin grabbed Jeno’s hand and gave it a light squeeze, trying to cheer him up. Just as they were saying goodbye to Jisung and Donghyuck to leave to their classes, they felt someone crash right against them. At first they looked at each other in confusion, but then Jeno managed to pull the boy away just enough to look at his face. It was Renjun. It was Renjun, and he was crying, trying to tell them something. They tried to tell him something too, to soothe his tears.

But instead of that, Renjun grabbed their hands, and in just a few seconds Jeno and Jaemin were seeing the pair of mice tattoos moving for the first time through the arms Renjun had grabbed. Jaemin and Jeno decided, right at that moment, that they were the luckiest people on the planet, and that if they were to die tomorrow, it would be because they had abused their luck.

The couldn’t help but laugh out loud, hugging Renjun like they hadn’t seen him in years, welcoming him into their lives, to the point that a teacher had to come and separate them because of how much of a scandal they were making. They were happy, the happiest they could remember ever being, because Renjun had returned to them, accepting them despite everything. That was the only thing that mattered.

* * *

**_Let us be your home_ **

The second semester of the school year was finally over. They had finally finished high school and were getting ready to get into college, but at that moment, they were only three boys on their way to a camping site far away from the city. A place where no one would bother them, where they could be themselves and leave behind all the stress and pain of the last few months.

When they finally arrived at the camping site, Renjun rushed them to get the tent up instead of leaving it for later, when they would probably be tired and it would be too dark to work properly. Jeno and Jaemin complied, and it was surprisingly harder than it should’ve been to put it up. Probably because they were more of a distraction than helpful to each other.

“Okay! The tent is finally up, that took long.” Jeno exclaimed once they were finished, grabbing a bottle of water from the cooler they had brought and sitting down on one of the foldable chairs.

“Wouldn’t have taken that long if you focused better.” Renjun complained, standing next to him and taking the water bottle away, teasingly.

Jeno pouted and grabbed him by the hand, pulling him down until Renjun was basically sitting on top of him. He recovered his water bottle despite Renjun’s complaints, and took a long sip from it, exhaling audibly once he was done.

“You say that but you’re half the source of my distraction.” Jeno said, putting the bottle down and chuckling when Renjun blushed.

“You’re so obnoxious.” The shorter muttered, getting himself up from Jeno’s legs and joining Jaemin who was busying himself with some snacks.

“Who’s obnoxious?” Asked Jaemin, who had been too busy getting himself something to eat after all the hard work.

“Lee Jeno.” Renjun replied, smiling teasingly when he heard Jeno complain at them for bad mouthing him.

“Ohh I get that, he’s like that sometimes, a big puppy.” Jaemin agreed, smile big on his lips.

“Must be why we have a dog as a tattoo.” Renjun muttered, following Jaemin back to the chairs and Jeno once he was done grabbing all the snacks.

They ate snacks for a while and then went for a walk. The scenery was beautiful, and it melted away their worries and stress. Then, Jeno took them to a shallow river in which campers could swim and have fun. They spent the rest of the afternoon there, playing around until it was time to go back to their camping site and have dinner.

It was hard, but they managed to not mess up the barbecue they had prepared, and if Jeno burnt the sausages a little bit no one complained. When they were full and had disposed of everything correctly, Renjun pulled out their sleeping bags and laid them down on the ground, siglaning at them to lie down with him. 

Night brought with it fresh air and a sky full of stars, and they cuddled together under the moonlight in a comfortable silence. Sometimes, one of them would point out a particular set of stars that looked like something, and Renjun would tell them those weren’t actual constellations before telling them of some that were. At some point, Jaemin sat down and turned to Renjun with a smile.

“What is it?” Renjun asked, feeling a bit cold where Jaemin had left his side.

“Close your eyes.” Jaemin said. Renjun frowned a little. “Trust me, close your eyes.” Jeno looked at them with curiosity, and then he seemed to catch up. He prompted both of them to sit up just like Jaemin, and looked at Renjun excitedly.

“Renjun, if you don’t close your eyes I’ll kiss you.” He said, trying not to laugh.

“Fine, fine.” Renjun accepted and closed his eyes, chuckling when Jeno complained about him not wanting his kisses and Jaemin shutting him up.

He felt Jaemin’s hand grabbing his and turning it around softly. After a few seconds, something closed around his wrist, and he felt Jaemin’s lips leave a peck there, immediately followed by Jeno, who had moved to sit in front of him at some point. Renjun opened his eyes and brought his arm in front of his face. A red embroidered bracelet closed around his wrist, and a cute little ovni charm hung from the center of it. Renjun gasped.

“I bought it the day you chose the sun and moon for us.” Jaemin explained, bringing his own arm out and showing his own bracelet, which had a moon hanging from it.

“He didn’t even tell me what he was planning, so sneaky.” Jeno murmured, fake pouting but putting his arm to show his sun charm, hanging from a similar red bracelet.

“I love it.” Renjun said, voice barely a whisper.

“We know.” Jaemin and Jeno replied, almost at the same time.

“I love you, the both of you.” He continued, and then he was pulled into an embrace.

“We know, we love you too.” They replied, almost in synch, and Renjun sighed a content sigh, feeling more comforted than he had ever felt. Feeling right at home.

**Author's Note:**

> Don't forget to leave comments and kudos~ See you soon!  
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> [Cute lil moodboard I made for the AU](https://twitter.com/soft_bluenicorn/status/1080900091072921606)


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